Recombinant proteins of parapdxvirus ovis and pharmaceutical compositions therefrom

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to polynucleotides coding for the PPVO viral genome, to fragments of the polynucleotides coding for the PPVO genome and to polynucleotides coding for individual open reading frames (ORFs) of the PPVO viral genome. The invention also relates to recombinant proteins expressed from the above mentioned polynucleotides and to fragments of said recombinant proteins, and to the use of said recombinant proteins or fragments for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/717,640, filed 17 Dec. 2012, now allowed, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/481,112, filed 11 Jun. 2004, now patented as U.S. Pat. No. 8,357,363, which is a U.S. National Phase Application of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2002/006440, having an international filing date of 12 Jun. 2002, which claims priority to New Zealand Patent Application No. 512341 filed 13 Jun. 2001. The contents of each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

SUBMISSION OF SEQUENCE LISTING ON ASCII TEXT FILE

The content of the following submission on ASCII text file is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: a computer readable form (CRF) of the Sequence Listing (file name: 595282000303SeqList.txt, date recorded: 5 Sep. 2014, size: 234,776 bytes).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to polynucleotides and recombinant proteins of Parapoxvirus ovis (PPVO) and their use, alone or in combination with other substances, for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known that latent and chronically persistent viral infections can be activated or reactivated by immunosuppression, or conversely that the immune system suppresses acute diseases which may be caused by a latent virus (for example a latent herpes virus infection recurs as a result of immunosuppression in the form of lip vesicles in cases of stress or the administration of cortisone). It is also known that chronically persistent latent viral infections can only be treated with difficulty or not at all using conventional low-molecular-weight antiviral substances.

It was demonstrated that class I restricted cytotoxic T cells were capable of inhibiting hepatocellular HBV gene expression in HBV-transgenic mice, and that this process was caused by TNF-α and IFN-γ.

It is also known that in the case of chronically persistent viral infections a superinfection with another virus can produce antiviral effects against the chronically persistent virus. The dependence of this effect on interferons such as IFN-γ, as well as other cytokines and chemokines, such as TNF-α, which are secreted by T cells, natural killer cells and macrophages, has been demonstrated.

BAYPAMUN®, a pharmaceutical product for inducing “paraspecific immunity”, i.e., a pharmaceutical product for inducing the unspecific immune system, is used therapeutically, metaphylactically and prophylactically for the treatment of animals in need. BAYPAMUN® is manufactured from chemically inactivated PPVO strain D1701 (see German Patent DE3504940). The inactivated PPVO induces in animals non-specific protection against infections with the most diverse types of pathogens. It is assumed that this protection is mediated via various mechanisms in the body's own defense system. These mechanisms include the induction of interferons, the activation of natural killer cells, the induction of “colony-stimulating activity” (CSA) and the stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation. Earlier investigations of the mechanism of action demonstrated the stimulation of interleukin-2 and interferon-α.

The processes for the production of the above-mentioned pharmaceutical compositions are based on the replication of the virus in cultures of suitable host cells.

One aspect of the invention relates to the use of particle-like structures comprising recombinant proteins of the invention. These particle-like structures can be, e.g., fusion proteins, protein-coated particles or virus-like particles.

Methods to produce fusion proteins, protein-coated particles or virus-like particles comprising recombinant proteins of the invention are well known to persons skilled in the art: Casal (Biotechnol. Genet. Eng. Rev. (2001) 18:73-87) describes the use of baculovirus expression systems for the generation of virus-like particles. Ellis (Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. (1996) 7(6):646-652) presents methods to produce virus-like particles and the application of suitable adjuvants. Roy (Intervirology (1996) 39(1-2):62-71) presents genetically engineered particulate virus-like structures and their use as vaccine delivery systems. Methods to produce fusion proteins are also well known to the person skilled in the art (Gaudin, et al., Gen. Virol. (1995) 76:1541-1556; Hughson, Curr. Biol. (1995) 5(3):365-374; Uhlen, et al., Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. (1992) 3(4):363-369). Known to the person skilled in the art is also the preparation of protein-coated micro- and nanospheres (Arshady, Biomaterials (1993) 14(1):5-15). Proteins can be attached to biodegradable microspheres (Cleland, Pharm Biotechnol. (1997) 10:1-43) or attached to other polymer microspheres (Hanes, et al., Pharm. Biotechnol. (1995) 6:389-412) such as, e.g., polysaccharides (Janes, et al., Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. (2001) 47(1):83-97).

PPVO NZ2 is another Parapoxvirus strain that exhibits immunostimulatory effects when administered in inactivated form to mammals.

The closest prior art describes the construction of an expression library representing about 95% of the PPVO NZ2 genome using the Vaccina lister virus to create recombinant viruses comprising the complete Vaccina lister genome and various fragments of the PPVO genome (Mercer, et al., Virology, (1997) 229:193-200). For the construction of the library, 16 PPVO DNA fragments with an average size of 11.4 kb were inserted into the Vaccinia lister genome. Each fragment was mapped relative to the PPVO restriction endonuclease maps but was otherwise uncharacterized (FIG. 1). It was found that a major portion of the PPVO genes were expressed in cells infected by the recombinant virus. The authors also showed that the entirety of all PPVO proteins expressed by some of the recombinant viruses of the expression library was able to provide protection against challenge with virulent PPVO. Expression of PPVO genes of the individual recombinant viruses has been demonstrated by immunofluorescence and immune precipitation (Mercer, et al., Virology (1997) 229:193-200).

To identify components of PPVO responsible for the vaccinating activity of PPVO, the Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2 expression library was applied.

Based on the above background it was desirable to develop PPVO based pharmaceutical compositions with antiviral and anti-tumor efficacy as well as with efficacy in paraimmunization and other desirable therapeutic effects. It was also desirable to obtain a pharmaceutical composition that exerts its full therapeutic effect while showing fewer side effects. It was furthermore desirable to find methods to produce PPVO based pharmaceutical compositions in large quantities and in economically advantageous manners.

These desirable effects have been achieved by the systematic use of selected recombinant proteins of PPVO alone or in combination with other recombinant proteins from PPVO for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of objects in need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to polynucleotides coding for the PPVO viral genome, to fragments of the polynucleotides coding for the PPVO genome and to polynucleotides coding for individual open reading frames (ORFs) of the PPVO viral genome. The invention also relates to fragments of said polynucleotides of at least 15 or 30 or 100 base pairs in length. The invention also relates to recombinant proteins expressed from the above mentioned polynucleotides and to fragments of said recombinant proteins of at least 5 or 10 or 30 amino acids, and to the use of recombinant proteins or fragments for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions.

“Fragments” of a polynucleotide, within the meaning of the invention, shall be understood as polynucleotides that have the same nucleotide sequence as contiguous parts of the full length (the original) polynucleotide.

“Active fragments”, within the meaning of the invention, shall be those fragments of the PPVO genome the expression products of which have demonstrated to be pharmacologically active according to the invention, when inserted into the Vaccina lister genome and expressed in a suitable host.

Whereas the use of the complete PPVO virus for the manufacture of vaccines against PPVO challenge has been described, the present invention relates to the use of polynucleotides coding for the PPVO viral genome and selected fragments of the PPVO viral genome and of selected PPVO expression products, alone or in combination with others, for the preparation of improved pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of various diseases.

The systematic use of selected genomic fragments of PPVO and their recombinant expression products makes it possible to produce pharmaceutical compositions which contain fewer (and may not contain any) inactive components (i.e., polynucleotides and proteins of PPVO) in addition to the active components.

These pharmaceutical compositions which contain less, or do not contain any additional inactive components are generally preferred by doctors and patients compared to the less well defined biological preparations of inactivated virus material. Furthermore, the possibility of producing the recombinant product in fermentation processes allows an economically advantageous mode of production. It is well known to persons skilled in the art that an economically advantageous mode of production can be achieved, e.g., by using rapidly growing production organisms (host organisms) which might also place low demands on the culture medium employed. Microorganisms which can advantageously be used as hosts for the production of recombinant proteins include, e.g., but are not limited to, Escherichia coli, Bacillus spec., Corynebacterium spec., Streptomyces spec., as well as yeasts, e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida spec., Pichia spec., Hansenula spec., and filamentous fungi, e.g., Aspergillus spec., Penicillium spec. and other suitable microorganisms.

Recombinant proteins of the invention can also be produced from cell lines expressing the proteins of interest. These cell lines can be recombinant mammalian cell lines, recombinant insect cell lines (e.g., using the baculovirus transfection system) or other suitable expression systems. Transfection can be achieved by various techniques known to the skilled person, one of which is the use or recombinant viruses such as the Vaccinia virus/PPVO recombinants (VVOVs) described in the examples.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to fragments of the PPVO genome of at least 15 or 30 or 100 base pairs in length, and recombinant proteins expressed therefrom and to the use of said fragments and recombinant proteins for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions. The invention also relates to individual genes (ORFs) of PPVO and their expression products, and their use, alone or in combination with others, for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions.

A protein, within the meaning of the invention, is any polypeptide of at least five amino acids. A recombinant protein, within the meaning of the invention, is any protein that is expressed in a cell, to which the coding polynucleotide was introduced using recombinant DNA technology.

A polynucleotide, within the meaning of the invention, is meant to comprise, polyribonucleotides and/or polydesoxyribonucleotides.

Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can be used as immunotherapeutic or immunoprophylactic agents for the treatment of infectious and non-infectious immunodeficiencies. They can also be used for the treatment of tumor diseases, cancer, viral infections and diseases associated therewith, such as, e.g., hepatitis, papillomatosis, herpes virus infections, liver fibrosis, for the prevention or prophylaxis of infectious diseases after stress (e.g., operations), for the prevention and prophylaxis of infectious diseases by administration prior to operations or procedures (e.g., preceding implantations of artificial limbs or dental procedures), for the prophylactic and metaphylactic treatment of non-viral infections, for the healing of wounds, and in particular for accelerating wound-healing processes and for promoting the healing of poorly healing or non-healing wounds (e.g., Ulcus cruris), for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, warts and other skin neoplasms, for allergic diseases, for preventing the onset of systemic allergies and for topical allergies and for improving well-being, e.g., in old age, for autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammatory diseases, such as, e.g., Crohn's disease, COPD and asthma. It is an object of the invention to use of polynucleotides and recombinant proteins of PPVO for the production of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of the above mentioned conditions and diseases in humans and animals.

The viral strains of the invention are PPVO NZ2 and homologues, such as D1701, NZ7, NZ10 and orf-11 strains. It is also possible to use polynucleotides and recombinant proteins of the progeny of these strains obtained by passaging and/or adaptation using specific cells, such as, e.g., WI-38, MRC-5 or Vero cells.

We have found that the identified recombinant proteins are effective for the treatment of viral diseases, cancer and other diseases or conditions in which a Th1 type immune response is of benefit. The results obtained also imply that PPVO gene products or parts thereof protect hepatitis virus-expressing hepatocytes (e.g., hepatitis B virus, HBV, or hepatitis C virus, HCV) from immune attack through HBV or HCV specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cells circulating in the blood because T cells will not leave the blood stream if their specific antigen is not presented by liver sinus endothelial cells (LSEC, that anatomically separate hepatocytes from T cells passing the liver with the blood). Therefore, we expect to have a recombinant protein that is derived from the ORFs 120-R3 (base pairs 122616-136025 Bp, recombinant virus VVOV82) that is able to down-modulate or prevent side effects such as necroinflammatory liver disease when immunostimulants, e.g., cytokines or any others including the proteins described above administered to, e.g., hepatitis patients.

Considering the knowledge about the influence of a Th1 type immune induction in conditions and diseases such as latent and or chronic viral infections, proliferative diseases such as cancer and the capability of recombinant proteins that contain gene products of PPVO or parts thereof to induce a Th1 immune response or a local immune response selectively, we claim the use of polynucleotides and recombinant polypeptides of PPVO and recombinant proteins that contain gene products of PPVO or parts thereof for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions for use in humans and animals. The recombinant proteins are made from products or parts thereof of the following open reading frames (ORFs) of PPVO NZ2: 64r-96r (recombinants VVOV 285 and VVOV 330 as well as VVOV 243 and VVOV 283), 18r-57 (recombinants VVOV 97, VVOV 96 and VVOV 245), 4r-14r (recombinant VVOV 215). The recombinant protein may also be made from gene products or parts thereof of ORFs 120-R3 (recombinant VVOV 82). The proteins may be prepared and used in any combination.

Recombinant proteins of PPVO within the meaning of the invention shall be understood as proteins that derive from PPVO and are expressed in homologous or heterologous systems other than the systems in which PPVO is naturally produced. Examples for recombinant proteins of PPVO are proteins of PPVO which are expressed using Vaccinia virus vectors and fibroblasts as host cells or baculovirus vectors and insect cells as host cells. Recombinant proteins, within the meaning of the invention, could also be produced in bacterial cells (e.g., Escherichia coli, Bacillus spec., Streptomyces spec.) or in yeast (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida spec., Pichia pastoris, Hansenula spec.) systems. In these cases, polynucleotides of the PPVO genome would typically be brought into the respective host genome so that PPVO genes are expressed by the host. Recombinant proteins of PPVO could also be expressed by the object in need in the sense of a gene therapy.

Recombinant proteins, within the meaning of the invention, could also be recombinant virus particles that contain PPVO derived proteins. Recombinant proteins, within the meaning of the invention, could also be in form of viral-like particles that are formed or assembled from PPVO derived proteins. Recombinant proteins, within the meaning of the invention, could also be chimeric proteins that contain PPVO gene products.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the recombinant proteins are attached to particle-like structures or be part of particle-like structures.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the recombinant proteins are attached to, or part of, fusion proteins.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the recombinant proteins are attached to, or part of, protein-coated particles.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the recombinant proteins are attached to, or part of, virus-like particles.

Particle-like structures, such as particle-like fusion proteins, protein-coated particles or virus-like particles can be phagocytosed and processed by monocytes or macrophages. The process of phagocytosis enhances the efficacy of recombinant proteins of the invention in uses within the meaning of the invention.

A particle-like structure, within the meaning of the invention, is particulate matter in particle-like form of which the average particle size and other characteristics are suitable for medical application. Preferred particle-like structures are, e.g., fusion proteins, protein-coated particles, or virus-like particles.

Immunomodulating activity is defined as local or systemic suppression and/or stimulation and/or induction of any Th-1 or Th-2 type cytokine response or of any effector function of these cytokines, (e.g., cytolytic or antiviral activity or humoral response) or the modulation of MHC cross-presentation. Immunomodulating activity could also be the induction of apoptosis in antigen presenting cells or recruiting of antigen presenting cells.

Nucleotides and recombinant proteins of the invention can be administered at the same time or sequentially, administered with other agents and drugs, e.g., with drugs that treat the disease or are supportive, e.g., in the case of cancer therapy with antineoplastic or other anti-cancer agents or/and anti-coagulants or vitamins, pain relief and others.

The nucleotides and recombinant proteins can be administered systemically (e.g., intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intracutaneously, intraperitoneally), locally (e.g., into a tumor) or orally (per os). The recombinant proteins or products thereof should be formulated appropriately, e.g., in a non-pyrogenic solution or suspension for i.v. use or in capsules for implantation or in capsules for per os use. Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can be administered, e.g., oral, nasal, anal, vaginal etc., as well as parenteral administration. Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can be in the form of suspensions, solutions, syrups, elixirs or appropriate formulations in polymers as well as liposomes.

Recombinant proteins of the invention can also be prepared with suitable recombinant cell lines and other cell lines. Alternatively, non-recombinant cell lines, such as WI-38, MRC-5, Vero cells could be infected with recombinant viruses that carry the recombinant genes using viral vectors such as, but not limited to, the Vaccina virus (e.g., Vaccina lister). In addition, other suitable viruses can be used in combination with other suitable cells (e.g., using Vaccinia virus vectors and fibroblasts as host cells or baculovirus vectors and insect cells as host cells). It is advantageous to cultivate the recombinant cell cultures in high-cell-density fermentations to achieve favorable productivity and a good overall process performance.

The invention relates to purified and isolated polynucleotides with the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1. The invention also relates to purified and isolated polynucleotides of at least 15 or 30 or 100 nucleotides which bind under stringent conditions to the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO:1 or its complementary sequences.

Stringent conditions, within the meaning of the invention are 65° C. in a buffer containing 1 mM EDTA, 0.5 M NaHPO₄ (pH 7.2), 7% (w/v) SDS.

The invention also relates to purified and isolated polynucleotides which comprise the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or polynucleotide sequences encoding the same amino acid sequence and fragments of at least 15 or 30 or 100 nucleotides thereof. The invention also relates to recombinant proteins of five and more amino acids encoded by these polynucleotides.

The invention also relates to purified and isolated polynucleotides which show at least 99%, 95% or 90% or 80% sequence homology to the polynucleotides of the previous paragraph.

Homology of biological sequences, within the meaning of the invention, shall be understood as the homology between two biological sequences as calculated by the algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch. (J. Mol. Biol. (1970) 48:443-453) using the BLOSUM62 substitution matrix (Henikoff and Henikoff, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1992) 89:10915-10919) for proteins and penalties of +4 and −3 for identical and non-identical bases, respectively, when comparing polynucleotide sequences. For comparison of protein sequences the gap creation penalty and the gap extension penalty are 8 and 2, respectively. For comparison of polynucleotide sequences the gap creation penalty and the gap extension penalty are 20 and 3, respectively.

The invention also relates to purified and isolated polynucleotides which are active fragments of the PPVO genome, with a sequence selected from a group of sequences consisting of nucleotides 122616-136025 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 82), 31003-46845 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 96), 24056-33789 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 97), 10264-20003 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 215), 82324-92502 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 243), 47952-66263 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 245), 89400-103483 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 283), 74804-88576 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 285), and 102490-108393 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 330).

The invention also relates to purified and isolated polynucleotide which encode for the same amino acid sequence as the active fragments of the PPVO genome of the previous paragraph and to polynucleotides of at least 15 or 30 or 100 nucleotides binding under stringent conditions to the above mentioned active fragments of the PPVO genome or its complementary sequence.

The invention also relates to polynucleotides with 99%, 95%, or 90%, or 80% sequence homology to sequences consisting of nucleotides 122616-136025 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 82), 31003-46845 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 96), 24056-33789 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 97), 10264-20003 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 215), 82324-92502 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 243), 47952-66263 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 245), 89400-103483 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 283), 74804-88576 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 285), and 102490-108393 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 330) or the respective complementary sequences.

The invention also relates to purified and isolated polynucleotide, with a sequence of nucleotides 3 to 539 (ORF L1), 781 to 449 (ORF L2r), 1933 to 1664 (ORF L3r), 3269 to 2790 (ORF L4r), 2799 to 3851 (ORF L5), 2962 to 3753 (ORF L6), 3784 to 3122 (ORF L7r), 4341 to 4129 (ORF L8r), 4904 to 4428 (ORF 1ar), 6517 to 4970 (ORF 1r), 8042 to 6684 (ORF 2r), 9989 to 8070 (ORF 3r), 11195 to 10062 ORF 4r), 11493 to 11227 (ORF 5r), 11802 to 12038 (ORF 6), 12358 to 12080 (ORF 7r), 13980 to 12364 (ORF 8r), 14826 to 14053 (ORF 9ar), 15080 to 15394 (ORF 10), 16838 to 15423 (ORF 11r), 19021 to 16847 (ORF 12r), 19704 to 19156 (ORF 13r), 20314 to 19736 (ORF 14r), 20401 to 22101 (ORF 15), 22125 to 22940 (ORF 6), 23003 to 23866 (ORF 17), 26908 to 23873 (ORF 18r), 26926 to 27213 (ORF 19), 27626 to 27216 (ORF 20r), 29754 to 27616 (ORF 21r), 32217 to 29800 (ORF 22r), 33380 to 32418 (ORF 23r), 33602 to 33393 (ORF 24r), 34466 to 33612 (ORF 25r), 34735 to 34502 (ORF 26r), 35905 to 34739 (ORF 27r), 37194 to 35905 (ORF 28r), 37200 to 39248 (ORF 29), 41037 to 39229 (ORF 30r), 41374 to 42066 (ORF 31), 42336 to 41731 (ORF 32r), 42407 to 41997 (ORF 33r), 42410 to 43765 (ORF 34), 43770 to 43958 (ORF 35), 43980 to 44534 (ORF 36), 45727 to 44537 (ORF 37r), 45760 to 46557 (ORF 38), 46567 to 47568 (ORF 39), 47572 to 48303 (ORF 40), 48352 to 48621 (ORF 41), 49887 to 48634 (ORF 42r), 49917 to 50693 (ORF 43), 50719 to 51102 (ORF 44), 51059 to 51511 (ORF 44a), 51584 to 52591 (ORF 45), 52509 to 53066 (ORF 46), 53523 to 53023 (ORF 47r), 53607 to 57473 (ORF 48), 58070 to 57528 (ORF 49r), 57700 to 58662 (ORF 50), 59674 to 58673 (ORF 51r), 62089 to 59678 (ORF 52r), 62198 to 62881 (ORF 53), 62909 to 63862 (ORF 55), 63858 to 64271 (ORF 56), 64309 to 66831 (ORF 57), 67266 to 66799 (ORF 58r), 67803 to 67273 (ORF 58ar), 67915 to 68607 (ORF 59), 68624 to 70984 (ORF 60), 70994 to 72898 (ORF 61), 72938 to 73507 (ORF 62), 73540 to 74211 (ORF 63), 76120 to 74207 (ORF 64r), 76749 to 76186 (ORF 65r), 77698 to 76799 (ORF 66r), 79343 to 77709 (ORF 67r), 79816 to 79367 (ORF 68r), 80529 to 79858 (ORF 69r), 80774 to 80529 (ORF 70r), 82815 to 80788 (ORF 71r), 83835 to 82834 (ORF 72r), 83874 to 85583 (ORF 73), 85535 to 84402 (ORF 74r), 88096 to 85574 (ORF 75r), 87759 to 88667 (ORF 76), 88920 to 88642 (ORF 77r), 91652 to 88938 (ORF 78r), 91667 to 92674 (ORF 79), 93466 to 92681 (ORF 80r), 93761 to 93486 (ORF 81r), 94060 to 93788 (ORF 82r), 94238 to 94080 (ORF 83r), 94508 to 94242 (ORF 84r), 95571 to 94498 (ORF 85r), 96187 to 95600 (ORF 86r), 96202 to 97665 (ORF 87), 97915 to 97643 (ORF 88r), 98251 to 99537 (ORF 89), 99537 to 99974 (ORF 90), 100001 to 101140 (ORF 91), 101168 to 104650 (ORF 92), 106354 to 104795 (ORF 93r), 107947 to 106400 (ORF 94r), 108256 to 107990 ORF 95r), 108719 to 108300 (ORF 96r), 109679 to 108738 (ORF 97r), 109861 to 109682 (ORF 98r), 110830 to 10033 (ORF 99r), 110208 to 110417 (ORF 100), 110469 to 110651 (ORF 100a), 110915 to 111397 (ORF 101), 111419 to 111913 (ORF 102), 111949 to 112485 (ORF 103), 112593 to 113450 (ORF 104), 113323 to 112967 ORF 105r), 113526 to 114152 (ORF 106), 114199 to 115236 (ORF 107), 115353 to 115787 (ORF 108), 115859 o 116551 (ORF 109), 116729 to 117523 (ORF 110), 117572 to 117114 (ORF 111r), 117423 to 118085 (ORF 12), 118968 to 118375 (ORF 114r), 118508 to 119119 (ORF 115), 119588 to 120202 (ORF 116), 120314 to 21231 (ORF 117), 121380 to 123920 (ORF 118), 121288 to 122256 (ORF 119), 122350 to 123924 (ORF 120), 123962 to 125566 (ORF 121), 125193 to 124591 (ORF 122r), 125689 to 123935 (ORF 123r), 123839 to 123297 ORF 123ar), 125652 to 126170 (ORF 124), 126121 to 125699 (ORF 125r), 126279 to 127769 (ORF 126), 127851 to 128408 (ORF 127), 128520 to 130076 (ORF 128), 130105 to 131700 (ORF 129), 131790 to 133283 (ORF 130), 133246 to 133920 (ORF 131), 133972 to 134370 (ORF 132), 134418 to 134693 (ORF 133a), 134402 to 134992 (ORF R1), 134853 to 134419 (ORF R2r), 135628 to 135897 (ORF R3), 136780 to 137112 ORF R4), and 137558 to 137022 (ORF R5r) of SEQ ID NO:1, which encode for the identified open reading frames (ORFs) listed in Table 7. ORFs of this paragraph of which the start position is a larger number than the stop position are coded by the complementary sequence of SEQ ID NO:1. The names of these ORFs end with the letter “r”. The invention also relates to the complementary sequences of the sequences of this paragraph.

The invention also relates to polynucleotides which encode for the same amino acid sequence as encoded by the identified ORFs of the previous paragraph. The invention also relates to polynucleotides of at least 15, 30 or 100 nucleotides binding under stringent conditions to the identified ORFs. The invention also relates to polynucleotides which show at least 99%, 95% or 90% or 80% sequence homology to the sequences of the previous paragraph or which are functional variants a sequence of the previous paragraph.

A functional variant of a gene, within the meaning of the invention, shall be defined as a gene which is at least 99%, or 95%, or 90%, or 80% homologous to the first gene and which has a similar biological function as the first gene. A functional variant of a gene can also be a second gene encoding the same amino acid sequence as does the first gene (or as does a functional variant thereof), employing the degeneration of the genetic code. A functional variant of a gene can also be a polynucleotide comprising the same sequence as has said gene, however said polynucleotide being shorter (i.e., by means of deletions of one or several nucleotides at one or both ends of the polynucleotide) or said polynucleotide having additional nucleotides at one or both ends of the identical part of the polynucleotide.

A functional variant of a protein, within the meaning of the invention, shall be defined as another protein which is at least 99%, or 95%, or 90%, or 80% homologous to the first protein and which has a similar biological function as has the original protein.

The invention also relates to recombinant proteins encoded by nucleotides of the invention and parts and fragments of said proteins which are at least 5 or 7 or 10 or 30 amino acids long.

The invention also relates to recombinant proteins encoded by nucleotides of the invention and parts and fragments of said proteins which are at least 5 or 7 or 10 or 30 amino acids long, said recombinant proteins being attached to a carrier protein or to another carrier. Attaching a protein to a carrier protein can improve or strengthen the immune response to said protein, thereby enhancing the therapeutic or prophylactic effect of administering said protein to a subject.

The invention also relates to vectors containing polynucleotides of the invention and cells containing these vectors or polynucleotides of the invention.

The invention also relates to the use of recombinant proteins and polynucleotides of the invention, alone or in combination with at least one other recombinant protein or polynucleotide of the invention for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions.

Combinations of recombinant proteins (or polynucleotides) according to the invention, comprise

-   -   combinations of at least two recombinant proteins encoded by SEQ         ID NO:1 (or combinations of at least two fragments of a         polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO:1),     -   combinations of at least two recombinant proteins encoded by the         same active fragment of the PPVO genome, i.e., two or more         recombinant proteins encoded by the same VVOV of     -   Table 3, Table 4, Table 5, and Table 6 (or combinations of at         least two fragments of the same active fragment (VVOV) of the         PPVO genome),     -   combinations of at least two recombinant proteins, encoded by at         least two distinct active fragments of the PPVO genome, i.e.,         from distinct VVOVs of     -   Table 3, Table 4, Table 5, and Table 6 (or combinations of at         least two fragments of at least two distinct active fragments         (VVOVs) of the PPVO genome), or     -   combinations of at least two distinct recombinant proteins         encoded by ORFs of Table 7 (or combinations of at least two         polynucleotides with the sequence of any of the ORFs listed in         Table 7).

The invention also relates to the use of recombinant viruses comprising the Vaccina lister genome and selected fragments of the PPVO genome for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions.

The invention also relates to the use of recombinant proteins and polynucleotides of the invention for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of virus related diseases, viral infections, non-viral infections, proliferative diseases, inflammatory diseases, allergic diseases, and autoimmune diseases.

Viral infections, within the meaning of the invention, shell be understood as diseases associated with viral infections of the human or animal body, such as hepatitis, papillomatosis, herpes virus infections, liver fibrosis, HIV infections, AIDS, and influenza.

Non-viral infections, within the meaning of the invention, shell be understood as diseases associated with non-viral infections of the human or animal body, such as infections with mycobacteria, mycoplasma, amoeba, and plasmodia.

Proliferative diseases, within the meaning of the invention, shell be understood as diseases associated with proliferative disorders, such as cancer, leukemia, warts, tumor diseases, and other skin neoplasms.

Inflammatory diseases, within the meaning of the invention, shell be understood as diseases associated with acute or chronic inflammatory conditions, such as inflammation of the skin or organs, Crohn's disease, COPD, asthma, but also conditions related to the healing of wounds, e.g., Ulcus cruris, and others.

Allergic diseases, within the meaning of the invention, shell be understood as comprising both systemic and topical allergies.

Autoimmune diseases within the meaning of the invention, shell be understood as comprising systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, and juvenile diabetes mellitus, and other autoimmune diseases.

The invention also relates to the use of recombinant viruses comprising a Vaccinia lister genome and fragments of a PPVO genome for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions.

The invention also relates to the use of recombinant viruses comprising a Vaccinia lister genome and at least one heterologous gene to express at least one heterologous gene in a subject, e.g., for prophylactic and/or therapeutic purposes.

The invention also relates to the use of a recombinant viruses comprising a Vaccinia lister genome and at least one heterologous gene for gene therapy.

“Gene therapy”, within the meaning of the invention, shall be understood as the act of administering to a subject polynucleotides (and, if necessary, suitable adjuvants or suitable carriers) for the purpose of obtaining a prophylactic or therapeutic effect in said subject. Typically, the polynucleotides administered are expressed in the subject and the expressed gene products exert a prophylactic or therapeutic effect.

The invention also relates to

-   (a) a particle-like structure comprising a recombinant polypeptide     encoded by an open reading frame (ORF) of the polynucleotide of SEQ     ID NO:1 or functional variants of said polypeptides, -   (b) the use of a particle-like structure of (a) for the preparation     of a medicament, -   (c) the use of a particle-like structure of (a) for the preparation     of a medicament for the treatment of virus related diseases, viral     infections, non-viral infections, proliferative diseases,     inflammatory diseases, allergic diseases, and/or autoimmune     diseases, -   (d) pharmaceutical compositions comprising a particle-like structure     of (a), and to -   (e) pharmaceutical compositions comprising a particle-like structure     of (a) for the treatment of virus related diseases, viral     infections, non-viral infections, proliferative diseases,     inflammatory diseases, allergic diseases, and/or autoimmune     diseases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE

FIG. 1 shows the genomic locations of the DNA fragments constituting the insertion library. The position of each DNA fragment is shown against the KpnI map of PPVO NZ2 (Mercer, et al., Virology (1997) 229:193-200).

EXAMPLES Example 1: Determination of the Integrated PPVO Fragments in the Active VVOVs

DNA Preparation from Vaccinia lister/PPVO Recombinants was Performed as Follows:

BK-KL 3A cells were grown to confluency in 175 cm² flasks (Becton Dickson Labware, Heidelberg, Germany). Cells were infected with a recombinant Vaccina lister/PPVO virus (VVOV) of Mercer, et al. (Virology (1997) 229:193-200) at a MOI (multiplicity of infection) of 0.01-0.32 and incubated at 37° C. until 100% CPE (cytopathic effect) had been reached. The infected cells were frozen at −80° C., thawed and processed as follows, with modification to the RNA extraction method of Vilcek, et al. (J. Clin. Microbiol. (1994) 32:2225-2231). Using 2 ml PLG Heavy Eppendorf tubes (Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany) 0.5 ml aliquots of cellular suspension were incubated with 100 μg Proteinase K (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany) and 50 μl SDS (Sigma-Aldrich, Chemie GmbH, Taufkirchen, Germany) at 56° C. for 25 min 0.5 ml Roti®-Phenol/Chloroform (Carl Roth GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany) was added and the tubes were inverted for several times. After centrifugation at 12000×g for 10 min, the upper phase was transferred into a fresh tube and two volumes of ethanol (Merck Eurolab GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany) and 1/10 volume of sodium acetate (Sigma-Aldrich, Chemie GmbH, Taufkirchen, Germany) was added. The reagents were mixed several times and stored at −80° C. for 3 h. The tubes were centrifuged at 14000×g for 30 min, the supernatant was decanted and the pellet was air-dried for 5-10 min Finally the DNA pellet was resuspended in 30 μl nuclease free water and stored at −20° C. until used.

DNA concentration was measured spectrophotometrically on a BioPhotometer 6131 (Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany) at 260/280 nm. The DNA yield of different sample preparations spanned from 100 ng/ml up to 1 μg/ml.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of Terminal Flanking Regions of the Integrated Fragments in the Vaccinia Lister/PPVO Recombinants was Performed as Follows:

Three different PCR amplification systems were used for amplifying the terminal flanking regions. Each reaction mixture of 50 μl contained 100 ng-1 μg resuspended DNA and primers (Table 1)) were added in a final concentration of 300 nM. Amplifications were carried out on a Mastercycler® gradient (Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany).

The 3-prime flanking region of recombinant VVOV 285 had been analyzed using 2× Ready-Mix™ PCR Master Mix (1.5 mM MgCl₂) (AB Gene, Hamburg, Germany). 1 μl BSA (MBI Fermentas GmbH, St. Leon-Rot, Germany) was added to each reaction. Denaturation was performed at 94° C. for 3 min, followed by 30 cycles (94° C. for 30 s, 58.7° C.-65.3° C. for 30 s, 72° C. for 1 mM) and 72° C. for 5 min.

The 5-prime flanking region of the PPVO insert of recombinant VVOV 285, the 3-prime flanking region of VVOV 97, and both terminal flanking regions of VVOV 215, VVOV 243, VVOV 245 were amplified using PfuTurbo® DNA Polymerase (Stratagene, Amsterdam, Netherlands). The reactions were setup with 2.5 U of enzyme, 1.5 mM MgCl₂ and 200 μM of each dNTP. Denaturation was performed at 94° C. for 3 mM, followed by 30 cycles (94° C. for 30 s, 58.7° C.-65.3° C. for 30 s, 72° C. for 1 mM) and 72° C. for 5 min.

The amplification of the 5-prime flanking region of VVOV 97 and VVOV 82, the 3-prime flanking region of VVOV 96 and VVOV 283 were performed with Platinium® Pfx DNA Polymerase (Life Technologies GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany). A reaction of 50 μl contained 1.25 U polymerase, 1-1.5 mM MgCl₂ and 300 μM of each dNTP. Additional use of PCRx Enhancer Solution was necessary for amplification of the 5-prime flanking regions of VVOV 96 (lx concentrated) and the 3-prime flanking regions of VVOV 82 (2× concentrated). Denaturation was performed at 94° C. for 2 mM, followed by 30 cycles (94° C. for 15 s, 54.6° C.-60.7° C. for 30 s, 68° C. for 1-2 mM) and 68° C. for 5-7 min.

18 μl of each amplification product was analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis on 1.5-2% SeaKem LE agarose (Biozym, Hessisch Oldendorf, Germany). After staining in a ethidium bromide solution for 20 mM the DNA fragments were visualized on an UV transilluminator UVT-20 M/W (Herolab, Wiesloch, Germany).

The sequence of the amplified DNA-fragments were determined by standard sequencing procedures and compared to the published Vaccinia lister thymidine kinase-sequence and the genome sequence of PPVO NZ2 to determine exactly the integrated PPVO NZ2 sequences.

TABLE 1 PCR-primers, amplification and sequencing   of the terminal flanking regions of   the integrated fragments in the   Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2 recombinants Ampli- Length fied of terminal Primers used amplifi- region for amplification SEQ cation VVO of NZ2 Primer  Sequence ID product V insert name 5′ → 3′ NO: [bp] VVO 5′ VAC- ATTACAGTGATG  2  264 V 215 P11-1 CCTACATGCCG PPVO  GCTGTAGTCGT  3 14r-1 GGTCCGGC 3′ PPVO  CTTCCTAGGCT  4  402 4r-2 TCTACCGCACG VAC- CGGTTTACGTT  5 TK-1 GAAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ VAC- ATTACAGTGATG  2  553 V 245 P11-1 CCTACATGCCG PPVO  CTGGCCAACG  6 57-1 ACGCCTTC 3′ PPVO  TCTGGTACCCC  7  321 40-1 TTGCCGG VAC- CGGTTTACGTT  5 TK-1 GAAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ VAC- ATTACAGTGAT  2  241 V 285 P11-1 GCCTACATGCCG PPVO  GAACCCGCTCT  8 78r-5 CGCTCGA 3′ PPVO  GCCGGGCAAGT  9  320 64r-1 GTCTGGTC VAC- CGGTTTACGTTG  5 TK-1 AAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ VAC- ATTACAGTGAT  2  392 V 330 P11-1 GCCTACATGCCG PPVO  CTCGAAGTAGC 10 92-1 TGATGTCGCG 3′ PPVO  AGAGCTTTAC 11  462 96r-1 GTAGACTCT CCAAGTGTC VAC- CGGTTTACGTT  5 TK-1 GAAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ VAC- ATACGGAACGGG 12  239 V 96 TK-fwd ACTATGGACG PPVO   GCGGTGGCCATG 13 22r-3 TACGTG 3′ PPVO   GGTTGTGGCGA 14 1055 22r-4 TGGTCGG VAC- CGGTTTACGTT  5 TK-1 GAAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ VAC-  ATACGGAACGGG 12  309 V 97 TK-fwd ACTATGGACG PPVO   CTTGATGAGCCG 15 18r-1 GACGCA 3′ PPVO  CCGAGTTGGAG 16  318 25r-1 AGGAAGGAGC   VAC- CGGTTTACGTT  5 TK-1 GAAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ VAC- ATTACAGTGAT  2  478 V 243 P11-1 GCCTACATGCCG PPVO  CTGTTGGAGGAT 17 79-1 GAGGTCAAGGA 3′ PPVO  CGTGCTCATGC 18  269 71r-1 CTGTGGAC VAC- CGGTTTACGTT 5   TK-1 GAAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ V 283 3′ PPVO  CGACATCCTCA 19  234 92-4 CCTGCAAGAAG VAC- CGGTTTACGTTG  5 TK-1 AAATGTCCCAT VVO 5′ VAC- ATACGGAACGG 12  275 V 82 TK-fwd GACTATGGACG   PPVO  TACAGGCAGCC 20 120-1 CGTGACC 3′ PPVO  GCCGTGTGTC 21 1960 R3R4-3 ACGTTGATGC   VAC- CGGTTTACGTT  5 TK-1 GAAATGTCCCAT

Example 2: Induction of Interferon Gamma and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha by PPVO Gene Products

The 16 recombinants were tested of their ability to induce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in whole blood cultures.

Whole blood cultures containing blood and RPMI medium (Life Technologies GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany) in the ratio of 1:5 were stimulated with the recombinant viruses. A pure Vaccinia lister and a whole PPVO preparation served as controls. All preparations were used at a final dilution of 1:10. The stimulation for the IFN-7 determination was done together with Concanavalin A (SIGMA, St. Louis, Mo.), because the virus alone does not induce IFN-γ. Then the cells were incubated for 24 h (TNF-α) and or 72 h (IFN-γ). The cytokine concentration was then determined in the cell culture supernatants by TNF-α or IFN-γ specific ELISA. These time points were found to be optimal when the experimental conditions were determined using whole PPVO as a control.

It was possible to identify 5 active recombinant viruses (VVOV 96, VVOV 97, VVOV 243, VVOV 285, and VVOV 330) that induced both TNF-α and IFN-γ secretion and, thus, could mimic the effect of the whole PPVO. The results are depicted in Table 2.

TABLE 2 TNF-α was determined after 24 h stimulation of blood cells with the recombinant virus or the controls, respectively. IFN-γ was determined after 72 h stimulation of blood cells with the recombinant virus or the controls. Stimulation was performed in the presence of the mitogen ConA. The relative induction in percent of the Vaccinia virus control is shown. Therefore, values greater than 100% are due to the activity of the PPVO fragments. Active PPVO fragments are in bold. The data represent mean values of three different blood donors. Recombinant Virus Clone or Interferon TNF control Induction (%) Induction (%) Vaccinia virus control 100 100 NZ-2 control 2224 264 VVOV 80 200 66 VVOV 82 173 65 VVOV 85 209 94 VVOV 86 138 73 VVOV 96 1638 1016 VVOV 97 1713 1285 VVOV 212 94 62 VVOV 213 192 38 VVOV 215 97 82 VVOV 216 197 71 VVOV 243 1446 933 VVOV 245 98 45 VVOV 247 85 74 VVOV 283 115 78 VVOV 285 1128 1127 VVOV 330 1762 2135

TABLE 3 The recombinant Vaccinia lister/PPVO viruses that induce both interferon gamma and TNF-α expression are listed in column 1, the corresponding PPVO sequence in column 2 and all open reading frames (ORFs) that are completely or partially contained in the recombinant are depicted in column 3. PPVO NZ2 Sequence PPVO NZ2 ORFs Active recombinant [Bp] that is contained in that are contained in PPVO Vaccinia virus the recombinant the recombinant VVOV 97 24056-33789  18r-25r VVOV 96 31003-46845 22r-39 VVOV 285 74804-88576 64r-76 VVOV 243 82324-92502 71r-79 VVOV 330 102490-108393   92-96r

Example 3: Local Immunomodulation by PPVO Gene Products in Liver Sinus Endothelial Cells (LSEC)

We have established a new cell-based assay system that allows testing of hepatoprotective properties of recombinant PPVO proteins expressed in different systems (e.g., Vaccinia virus). This assay system uses primary murine liver cells, which play the central role in deciding whether immunity or tolerance is induced in the liver, the LSEC. The unique ability of LSEC to present exogenous antigens to CD8+ T cells on MHC class I molecules allows immune surveillance of hepatocytes as viral antigens released by infected hepatocytes are likely to be taken by LSEC and presented to cells of the immune system. The new assay allows to measure the ability of LSEC to interact antigen-specifically with CD8+ T cells, that are responsible for tissue destruction in necroinflammatory hepatitis.

Pure populations of LSEC are isolated from murine liver by a stepwise procedure of portal-vein perfusion with collagenase A (0.05%), mechanical dispersion and further enzymatic digestion in a rotatory waterbath for 40 min at 37° C. (245 rpm), gradient centrifugation (metrizamide 1.089 g/cm³) and centrifugal elutriation using a Beckman Avanti J25I centrifuge equipped with a JE-6B rotor and a standard elutriation chamber. LSEC cell populations isolated by this method are typically around 95-99% pure as measured by uptake of endothelial cell specific substrate (acetylated low density lipoprotein). LSEC were seeded onto collagen type I coated 24 well tissue culture plates at a density of 100.000 cells per well and were further cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle Medium supplemented with 5% fetal calf serum (specially tested not to interfere with the assay system) and 2% glutamine. Three days after isolation, when LSEC gained a post mitotic and quiescent state, we tested for the ability of LSEC to present soluble ovalbumin to (ovalbumin-specific) CD8+ T cells. LSEC were incubated with 1 μM of ovalbumin for three hours (antigen dose and time were previously shown to be optimal for testing of substances suspected to influence antigen-presentation), washed and incubated with a CD8+ T cell hybridoma (200.000 cells/well) that recognizes the peptide SIINFEKL (SEQ ID NO:320). SIINFEKL (SEQ ID NO:320) is recognized in a H2b context and directly binds on the MHC-I molecules. Therefore, it has not to be processed by the cell. This allows to differentiate between accessory functions of LSEC (such as MHC-I expression) and antigen-processing function.

The extent of CD8+ T cell activation was measured by determining the extent of IL-2 release from T cells by specific sandwich ELISA.

Using Vaccinia virus expressed recombinant proteins derived from PPVO we have been able to attribute hepatoprotective activity to individual clones. To be able to compare different clones directly with respect to their ability to influence cross-presentation by LSEC, we used equal amounts of “infectious units”.

We found that LSEC cross-present exogenous ovalbumin very efficiently on MHC class I molecules (k^(b)) to CD8+ T cells. To our surprise we found if LSEC were incubated with several recombinant PPVO proteins we observed subsequently a potent downregulation of cross-presentation by more than 60% compared to the mock-treated control that includes all but the active ingredient. Several regions within the genome of PPVO have immunoregulatory properties. Especially the region termed 82 (43% reduction) which is located at the 3′ end of the genome appears to be responsible for the overall effect of PPVO on cross-presentation by LSEC. Further regions (VVOV 215, VVOV 212, VVOV 247 and VVOV 86) bear further immunoregulatory potential, although to a lesser degree (around 30% reduction in cross-presentation). It further appears that genes coding for proteins that downregulate cross-presentation are arranged in clusters. It is of interest to note that we identified two gene clusters coding for proteins that improved cross-presentation (VVOV 330, VVOV 283, VVOV 285, VVOV 97, and VVOV 96). However, for unknown reasons the downregulatory effect of the proteins mentioned above is dominant in the activity of PPVO on cross-presentation.

Our results strongly suggest that PPVO contains a mixture of different proteins that in a complementary way work to eliminate hepatocytes from hepatitis B virus while conserving hepatic integrity and avoiding long lasting damage secondary to hepatic fibrosis. As PPVO contains a gene with high homology to the anti-inflammatory agent IL-10 (located in the 5-prime region of the genome) we wondered whether the potent downregulatory effect of the clone 82 was due to expression of ovine IL-10. This assumes that there is cross-reactivity between murine and ovine IL-10 at the level of receptor recognition. We have been unable to demonstrate involvement of ovine IL-10 on the immunoregulatory potential of PPVO. Recombinant murine IL-10 did not show any influence on cross-presentation through LSEC and several monoclonal antibodies to murine and human IL-10 did not influence PPVO mediated downregulation of cross-presentation. We conclude that the immunoregulatory component of PPVO is probably not IL-10 but a new, so far not identified mediator. The data for the MHC-I cross-presentation—down-modulating recombinant virus are depicted in Table 4, those for the MHC-I cross-presentation—stimulating recombinant viruses in Table 5.

TABLE 4 The recombinant Vaccinia lister/PPVO virus that down-modulates the MHC-I cross presentation is designated in column 1, the corresponding PPVO sequence in column 2 and all open reading frames (ORFs) that are completely or partially contained in the recombinant are depicted in column 3. PPVO NZ2 Sequence PPVO NZ2 ORFs Active recombinant [Bp] that is contained in that are contained in PPVO Vaccinia virus the recombinant the recombinant VVOV 82 122616-136025 120-R3

TABLE 5 The recombinant Vaccinia lister/PPVO viruses that stimulate the MHC-I cross presentation are designated in column 1, the corresponding PPVO sequence in column 2 and all open reading frames (ORFs) that are completely or partially contained in the recombinant are depicted in column 3. PPVO NZ2-Sequence PPVO NZ2-ORFs Active recombinant [Bp] that is contained in that are contained in PPVO Vaccinia virus the recombinant the recombinant VVOV 97 24056-33789  18r-25r VVOV 96 31003-46845 22r-39 VVOV 285 74804-88576 64r-76 VVOV 283   89,4-103483 78r-92 VVOV 330 102490-108393   92-96r

Example 4: Determination of the Immunostimulatory Activity of the Vaccinia Lister/PPVO Recombinants in the Aujeszky Mouse Model

We also tested the activity of recombinant Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2-viruses in the Aujeszky mouse model, a lethal challenge model of acute Suid Herpesvirus 1 disease for determining the activity of various immunostimulators (e.g., Baypamun®, CpG oligonucleotides).

a) Conditions Employed for the Mice

The NMRI mice (outbreed strain HdsWin:NMRI; female; weight: 18-20 g; obtained via Harlan/Winkelmann, Borchen, Germany) were kept in autoclavable polycarbonate crates lined with sawdust in an S2 isolation stall at 20-22° C. (atmospheric humidity: 50-60%) and subjected to an artificial day/night rhythm (illumination from 6:30 h to 18:30 h and darkness from 18:30 h to 6:30 h). They had free access to feed and water.

b) Challenge Model

Groups of mice consisting of 10 mice per group were used for the tests. All of the animals in one group were given the same test substance.

After the mice were supplied they were kept in the animal stall for 2-3 days. Then the Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2 recombinants were diluted with PBS (Life Technologies GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany) to a titer equivalent of approx. 10⁸ TCID₅₀/ml and thermally inactivated (twice for one hour at 58° C.). Of these solutions 0.2 ml was administered per mouse intraperitoneally.

24 hours after the treatment the mice were infected with the pseudorabies virus of the Hannover H2 strain by intraperitoneal administration. For this purpose the virus was diluted in PBS to a test titer of approx. 10⁴ TCID₅₀/ml and 0.2 ml of this suspension was administered.

As a negative control one group of mice was treated with PBS and then infected. The mice in this group died 3-8 days after infection. A large proportion of the mice treated the Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2 recombinants VVOV 215, VVOV 245, VVOV 285 or VVOV 330 survived infection with the pseudorabies virus. 10 days after the infection with the virus the test was ended.

The level of induced immunostimulation was determined by comparing the number of dead mice in the PBS control group with the number of dead mice in the test groups and was quantified by the efficacy index (EI). This index indicates the percentage proportion of mice protected against the lethal effects of the Aujeszky virus infection through immune stimulation by the substance to be tested. It is calculated by means of the following formula: EI=(b−a)/b×100, where b is the percentage proportion of the dead mice in the control group and a the percentage proportion of the dead mice in the test group.

A chi-square test was used for the statistical evaluation. This test reveals the minimum activity indices indicating a significant difference between the mortality rate of those mice treated with the test substance and those treated with PBS. Activity indices of ≧60% are significant where at least 5 of the mice used in tests with n=6 mice per group in the PBS control group and at least 7 of the mice used in tests with n=10 in the PBS control group do not survive the infection with the Aujeszky virus.

Altogether 3 separate tests were carried out in each case. The testing of Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2 recombinants in the Aujeszky mouse model shows the following:

Surprisingly, after the treatment of the mice with the Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2 recombinants VVOV 215, VVOV 245, VVOV 285 or VVOV 330 the average activity indices of higher than 60% demonstrated immunostimulation. By contrast all of the other Vaccinia lister/PPVO NZ2 recombinants were ineffective. The data is summarized in Table 6.

TABLE 6 The recombinant Vaccinia lister/PPVO viruses that protected mice from herpesvirus induced death are designated in column 1, the corresponding PPVO sequence in column 2 and all open reading frames (ORFs) that are completely or partially contained in the recombinant are depicted in column 3. PPVO NZ2-Sequence PPVO NZ2 ORFs Active recombinant [Bp] that is contained in that are contained in PPVO Vaccinia virus the recombinant the recombinant VVOV 215 10264-20003  4r-14r VVOV 245 47952-66263 40r-57 VVOV 285 74804-88576 64r-76 VVOV 330 102490-108393   92-96r

TABLE 7 Sequences of the Parapox ovis open reading frames. ORFs the names of which end with “r” are encoded on the complementary DNA strand. Base pair positions in the “from” and “to” column are relative to SEQ ID NO: 1. SEQ SEQ ID ID ORF from to N-term NO C-term NO Comment  L1      3    539 IRGFAG  22 PQKVFRL  23 long termal repeat  (LTR)-protein, retroviral  pseudoprotease  L2r    781    449 MSEGGRL  24  LLGLLFP  25 LTR-protein,  retroviral pseudoprotease  L3r   1933   1664 MTVHPPK  26 VLPPNSL  27  LTR-protein,  retroviral pseudoprotease  L4r   3269   2790  MHPSPRR  28 PVSHPFL   29  LTR-protein,  retroviral pseudoprotease  L5   2799   3851 MGDREGE  30  FEDGVKC  31 LTR-protein,  retroviral pseudoprotease  L6   2962   3753  MCTVATF  32 GAPRAGW  33  LTR-protein,  similar to 134r, retroviral  pseudoprotease  L7r   3784   3122 MTPTSRE  34  ARTAPPR  35 LTR-protein,  retroviral pseudoprotease  L8r   4341   4129  MPGEGQY  36  NGGLGKI  37 LTR-protein,  retroviral pseudoprotease   1ar   4904   4428 MEFCHTE  38 DTAWYIS  39 dUTPase   1r   6517   4970 MLSRESV  40 RAMLTRP  41  homolog of G1L in NZ2,  Ankyrin-repeats   2r   8042   6684  MFFWFWC  42  SGEGVPV  43   3r   9989   8070  MLGFWGK  44  VLPSVSR  45  involved in maturation  of EEV (Extracellular Enveloped Virions)   4r  11195  10062 MWPFSSI  46 EFCKPIN  47  Phospholipase D-type enzyme   5r  11493  11227 MLIYGPR  48 RLLKDFP  49 homolog of B3L in NZ2   6  11802  12038 MGVVMCG  50 APAGVTE  51   7r  12358  12080 MPVKVKQ  52  ASREFIV  53 ubiquitination  protein with RING- finger-motiv (related to yeast proteins APC11  and HRT1)   8r  13980  12364  MEEELTR  54  SPMVVFN  55 no Vaccinia  virus homolog   9ar  14826  14053  MIRIGGG  56  DNMRVDD  57  10  15080  15394 MDGGVHK  58 EQMCRRQ  59 virion core DNA-binding phosphoprotein  11r  16838  15423 MAPPVIE  60 AKNVITH  61 polyA polymerase  12r  19021  16847  MLQLLKR  62 NNRGFRK  63  13r  19704  19156 MACECAS  64 NNCGISF   65 interferon resistance  protein, homology to mammalian PACT (protein activator of the interferon-induced  protein kinase) also called PRKRA (dsRNA dependent activator of Interferon-induced  protein kinase), 13r-protein contains a  dsRBD motiv (double- stranded RNA binding domain) and a ′DRADA′- domain that is typical for RNA-editing enzymes)  14r  20314  19736 MDEDRLR  66 KKGKPKS  67 RNA polymerase  15  20401  22101 MDFVRRK  68 VVLQGRA  69  16  22125  22940 MVDSGTH  70 PENVVLL   71  17  23003  23866 MASYISG  72 RTHTVYV  73  18r  26908  23873 MLFEMEL  74 SKPVFTG   75 DNA polymerase  19  26926  27213 MEPRFWG  76 AKVRPLV   77 distant homolog of  the ERV1/ALR-protein- family (ERV1: yeast  protein, Essential for Respiration and Vegatative growth, ALR: mammalian protein, Aug- menter of Liver Regeneration)  20r  27626  27216 MEAINVF  78 RAYEGML   79  21r  29754  27616 MLLYPKK  80 LLGDGGD  81 related to 12r  22r  32217  29800 MLIRTTD  82 EAQNMQN   83  23r  33380  32418 MEDERLI  84 PSPCGGE  85  24r  33602  33393 MDKLYTG  86 FHYLKLV  87  25r  34466  33612 MKRAVSK  88 LEAPFNI   89 DNA binding  phosphoprotein  26r  34735  34502 MESRDLG  90 LNARRQN   91  27r  35905  34739 MNHFFKQ  92 RSLYTVL  93  28r  37194  35905 MDKYTDL  94 PEKPAAP  95 core protein  29  37200  39248 MENHLPD  96 IEAEPPF   97 RNA helicase  30r  41037  39229 MIVLENG  98 RMGARPR  99 Zn-protease,   involved in virion morphogenesis  31  41374  42066 MTFRELI 100 DSMASRS 101 late transcription  factor  32r  42336  41731 MRGHPAH 102 VAPREEL 103  33r  42407  41997 MASDASP 104 QPSSSRR 105 Glutaredoxin- like enzyme  34  42410  43765 MGIKNLK 106 PRLLKLR 107  35  43770  43958 MVFPIVC 108 LPMLDIS 109 RNA polymerase  36  43980  44534 MREFGLA 110 AEPPWLV  111  37r  45727  44537 MESSKQA 112 TRAPPLF  113 core virion  protein precursor  38  45760  46557 MTLRIKL 114 DRSLSCD  115 late transcription  factor  39  46567   47568 MGGSVSL 116 YLLIVWL 117  40  47572  48303 MGAAASI  118 TEFPPSV  119 virion protein,  related to vaccinia F9L  41  48352  48621 MVRRVLL 120 LCLFSMD 121  42r  49887  48634 MEEKRGR 122 ARAMVCL  123  43  49917  50693 MTNLLSL 124 TGAEAAP 125 core protein,  DNA binding domain  44  50719  51102 MAAPTTP 126 VDVLGGR 127  44a  51059  51511 MDHEKYV 128 ATLSPGL 129  45  51584  52591 MEGVEMD 130 RPLRGGK 131 polyA polymerase  46  52509  53066 MNRHNTR 132 SVSVVLD 133 RNA polymerase  47r  53523  53023 MFFRRRA 134 GRRPPRP 135  48  53607  57473 MSVVARV 136 EAAEEEF 137 RNA polymerase  chain 1  49r  58070  57528 MGDKSEW 138 FVCDSPS 139 tyrosine phosphatase  50  57700   58662 MAAAPLR 140 ATSGVLT  141  51r  59674  58673 MDPPEIT 142 LLVTAIV  143 immunodominant  envelope protein  52r  62089  59678 MDSRESI 144 YMINFNN  145 RNA polymerase- associated trans- cription specificity  factor (also called  RAP94)  53  62198  62881 MSSWRLK 146 KAAACKK 147 late transcription  factor  55  62909  63862 MRALHLS 148 NSEQVNG 149 topoisomerase I  56  63858   64271 MDEALRV 150 FIRAAVA 151  57  64309   66831 MDAPSLD 152 LYVFSKR 153 mRNA capping  enzyme  58r  67266  66799 MEPSAMR 154 DVQHVDL 155 virion protein  58ar   67803  67273 MAGFSQS 156 TTCVPPQ 157  59  67915  68607 MATPANA 158 FSFYSEN  159 Uracil DNA  glycosylase  60  68624  70984 MAAPICD 160 IEDVENK 161 ATPase, involved  in DNA replication  61  70994  72898 MNSDVIK 162 EVSVVNI 163 early transcription  factor  62  72938   73507 MSTFRQT 164 ASPAAKN  165 RNA polymerase  63  73540  74211 MRTYTSL 166 WGAAVTR 167 NTP pyrophos- phohydrolase  64r  76120   74207 MTSAHAA 168 VDPASIA 169 virion NTPase  65r  76749  76186 MEGRARF 170 RFCNYCP 171  66r  77698  76799 MKTDCAS 172 KLKLLLQ 173 mRNA capping enzyme  67r  79343   77709 MNNSVVS 174 AEKVTAQ 175 rifampicin resistance,  virion membrane  68r  79816  79367 MKRIALS 176 MALKSLI 177 late transactivator  protein  69r  80529   79858 MNLRMCG 178 AACSLDL 179 late transactivator  protein  70r  80774   80529 MGDNVWF  180 VLGLEQA 181 thioredoxin-like  protein  71r  82815   80788 MESPACA  182  NMCDVLC 183 major core protein  72r  83835  82834 MDLRRRF  184  VDNTGTS 185 core protein  73  83874  85583 MEESVAV  186 LLNYGCG 187 RNA-polymerase  74r  85535  84402 MDRLRTC  188 AEAAESA  189  75r  88096   85574 MVSVMRK  190 QEFYPQP 191 early transcription  factor  76  87759  88667 MFQPVPD  192 SACRASP 193  77r  88920  88642 MRPCYVT  194 TRGTQTG 195  78r  91652  88938 MTAPNVH  196 AVSFDSE 197 major core protein  79  91667  92674 MTAVPVT  198 VRKLNLI 199  80r  93466  92681 MASEKMA 200 DLDGGMC 201 virion protein  81r  93761   93486 MGLLDAL  202 RFSAASS 203 virion membrane  protein  82r  94060  93788 MDIFETL  204 DIELTAR 205 virion membrane  protein  83r  94238  94080 MVSDYDP  206 HFVHSVI 207  84r  94508  94242 MFLDSDT 208 DMPFSVV 209  85r  95571  94498 MGDTVSK 210 KTINVSR 211  86r  96187  95600 MESYFSY  212 EDLFFAE  213 virion membrane  protein  87  96202  97665 MFGGVQV  214 GRDLAAV 215 RNA helicase  88r  97915  97643 MSAVKAK  216 PLRDLAR 217 Zn-finger protein  89  98251  99537 MTSESDL  218 AIARAQP 219 DNA polymerase  processivity factor  90  99537   99974 MIVAAFD 220  NYVLRTN  221  91 100001 101140 MLALFEF 222 LKELLGP 223 intermediate  transcription factor  92 101168 104650 MEQALGY 224 SLFSPED 225 RNA polymerase b-chain  93r 106354 104795 MESDNAL 226 GQHAAIW 227 A-type inclusion  body/Fusion peptide  94r 107947 106400 MEKLVSD 228 GRSGAIW  229 A-type inclusion body/Fusion peptide  95r 108256 107990 MDENDGE 230 QTGYSRY 231 viral fusion  protein  96r 108719 108300 MDAVSAL 232 LFLKSIL  233    97r 109679 108738 MADAPLV 234 RELRANE 235 RNA polymerase  subunit  98r 109861 1109682 MEEDLNE 236 MGQASSA 237  99r 110830 110033 MDVVQEV 238 ADSDGGN 239 ATPase 100 110208 110417 MRSWFWQ  240 PLTGMCL 241 100a  110469 110651 MRPKSVG 242 SGHTKPS 243 101 110915 111397 MAHNTFE 244 KYFCVSD 245 enveloped virion  glycoprotein 102 111419 111913 MGCCKVP 246 CMKEMHG 247 enveloped virion  glycoprotein 103 111949 112485 MSRLQIL 248 RKLDVPI 249 104 112593 113450 MKAVLLL 250 LNLNPGN 251 GM-CSF/IL-2  inhibition factor 105r  113323 112967 MHASLSS 252 DETLTYR 253 106 113526 114152 MEVLVII 254 GEFFYDE 255 107 114199 115236 MPLFRKL 256 RDALDGL 257 108 115353 115787 MACFIEL 258 TTFSSSE 259 109 115859 116551 MSSSSSE 260 TTGTSTS 261 TT 110 116729 117523 MACLRVF 262 CSMQTAR 263 GM-CSF/IL-2  inhibition factor 111r  117572 117114 MAIAHTT 264 FRFRTPG 265 112 117423 118085 MAATIQI 266 KRDGYSR 267 114r  118968 118375 MEGLMPK 268 RPISVQK 269 115 118508 119119 MDSRRLA 270 LGDSDSD 271 116 119588 120202 MRLILAL 272 PQMMRIG 273 117 120314 121231 MAGFLGA 274 CKVEEVL 275 118 121380 123920 MHLHKDP 276 LAFPSLA 277 119 121288 122256 MANRLVF 278 RPMEIDG 279 120 122350 123924 MENNDGN 280 RFLPSHK 281 related to 1r/G1L  with Ankyrin- repeats 121 123962 125566 MDPAGQR 282 CSETDRW 283 122r  125193 124591 MSSSAAA 284 IAPDSRM 285 123r  125689 123935 MTAEASI 286 DPVYHKK 287 123ar 123839 123297 MPRTTSG 288 REQTEGL 289 124 125652 126170 MANREEI 290 VRVLRRT 291 125r  126121 125699 MTAPTPR 292 AAYSLAR 293 126 126279 127769 MADEREA 294 LACAMRK 295 related to 1r/G1L  with Ankyrin-repeats 127 127851 128408 MSKNKIL 296 SYMTTKM 297 sheep-like  Interleukin 10 128 128520 130076 MLTRCYI 298 RASGLAE 299 related to 1r/G1L  wih Ankyrin-repeats 129 130105 131700 MVGFDRR 300 CGRRAPE 301 related to 1r/G1L,  with Ankyrin-repeats (NT slightly changed) 130 131790 133283 MILARAG 302 PDAAALS 303 Kinase 131 133246 133920 MPPRTPP 304 RPAALRA 305 132 133972 134370 MKLLVGI  306 RPPRRRR 307 homolog to the  sheep VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) 133a  134418 134693 MRKKAPR 308  ARTAPPR 309 corresponds to L7r R1 134402 134992 MMRSGHA 310 RMHRSEL  311 LTR-protein (corresponds  to L4r), retroviral pseudoprotease R2r 134853 134419 MCTVATF  312  SVAPSSA 313 LTR-protein (corresponds  to L6, 134r), retroviral pseudoprotease R3 135628 135897 MTVHPPK  314 VLPPNSL 315 LTR-protein (corresponds  to L3r), retroviral pseudoprotease R4 136780 137112 MSEGGRL  316 LLGLLFP 317 LTR-protein (corresponds  to L2r), retroviral pseudoprotease R5r 137558 137022 IRGFAGG 318 PQKVFRL 319 LTR-protein (corresponds to L1r), retroviral pseudoprotease 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for down-regulating cross-presentation of an antigen with a MHC Class I molecule on a cell in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a recombinant protein encoded by a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of: a polynucleotide comprising the sequence of nucleotide residues 122616 to 136025 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 82), or a complementary sequence thereof; and a polynucleotide comprising the sequence of nucleotide residues 10264 to 20003 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 215), or a complementary sequence thereof, thereby down-regulating MHC Class I cross-presentation of an antigen on a cell in the subject, wherein the subject has hepatitis, papillomatosis, herpes virus infection, liver fibrosis, HIV infection, AIDS, or influenza.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recombinant protein is attached to or is a part of a structure selected from the group consisting of a particle-like structure, a fusion protein, a protein coated particle, and a virus-like particle.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell is an antigen presenting cell, a liver sinus endothelial cell, or a macrophage in the subject.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the down-regulation of MHC Class I cross-presentation of an antigen reduces tolerance to the antigen.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the antigen is a viral antigen.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject has hepatitis or liver fibrosis.
 7. A method for down-regulating cross-presentation of an antigen with a MHC Class I molecule on a cell in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a polynucleotide or a vector, a virus, or a host cell comprising the polynucleotide, wherein the polynucleotide is selected from the group consisting of: a polynucleotide comprising the sequence of nucleotide residues 122616 to 136025 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 82), or a complementary sequence thereof; and a polynucleotide comprising the sequence of nucleotide residues 10264 to 20003 of SEQ ID NO:1 (PPVO insert of VVOV 215), or a complementary sequence thereof, thereby down-regulating MHC Class I cross-presentation of an antigen on a cell in the subject, wherein the subject has hepatitis, papillomatosis, herpes virus infection, liver fibrosis, HIV infection, AIDS, or influenza.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the cell is an antigen presenting cell, a liver sinus endothelial cell, or a macrophage in the subject.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the down-regulation of MHC Class I cross-presentation of an antigen reduces tolerance to the antigen.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the antigen is a viral antigen.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the subject has hepatitis or liver fibrosis. 